Ursula Eysin on Uncertainty and Future Scenarios

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Ursula Eysin is the founder of Red Swan, a consultancy focusing on the development of future scenarios. She is a trained ballerina, plays the flute, speaks 7 languages, does math, and reads chemistry books for fun. Besides that, Ursula is a mentor to various Austrian and international startups while also giving lectures at 5 universities.

During this 2-hour conversation with Ursula Eysin, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as how she got to be a polyglot and a Sinologist; why the future could but should not be Chinese; her mission to help humans connect and turn uncertainty into an advantage; how she started her Red Swan consultancy; why predicting the future is a powerless position; futurism vs scenario planning and the methodology thereof; the meaning of being human and our need to connect; the demand for strong leadership and women in futurism; the importance of story; AI, its risks and timeline.

My favorite quote that I will take away from this conversation with Ursula Eysin is:

Turn uncertainty into an advantage. See it as a gift. And connect to other people.

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Who is Ursula Eysin?

Ursula Eysin is the founder and CEO of Red Swan, a Vienna-based consultancy focusing on the development of future scenarios.

Fun fact: She is a trained ballerina and used to work as a production manager, moderator, and presenter in theater, opera and film before she became a passionate technology consultant and communication professional.

And: Though she has not a drop of Chinese blood in her, she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Her broad knowledge and experience enable her to not only develop insightful future scenarios but also create the right story, vision, and action steps around them.

Besides that, she is a published columnist, a mentor to various Austrian and international startups, and gives lectures at 5 universities.

Her monthly column “Code Red” for Austria’s biggest technology magazine E-Media is now also available on Substack: Code Red – Technology, Madness, and the Future of Humanity.